It Ain't Half Hot Mum! - British Classic Comedy 1970's , 1970's BBC Comedy , 1980's , 1980's BBC Comedy , BBC Comedy , TV Comedy It Ain’t Half Hot Mum! – 1974 As we commemorate VJ day we’ve heard a lot on the radio about this being a forgotten part of the war, clearly not so for David Croft and Jimmy Perry who wrote this hit sitcom. To mark the commemorations we’ve pulled this post to front and for the next couple of days we’ve embedded the final episode into the post. Whilst in 1945 there were celebrations for VE day the war was not yet over for those fighting the Japenese. It was those troops that the Royal Artillery Concert Party depicted in this popular sitcom were entertaining. Running for 56 episodes over 8 series It Ain’t Half Hot Mum was the BBC sitcom centering around the Royal Artillery Concert Party. At it’s peak it attracted audiences of 15 million.

For the first four series the setting is British India and Burma towards the end of the Second World War (in the period just after the German surrender where the Allies were trying to finish the war by defeating Japan in Asia). In the fifth series, the concert party are posted up the jungle, and from then on It Ain’t Half Hot Mum is set in Tin Min, Burmha close to the front line. Like many shows of the time it courted controversy in its heyday for having Rangi Ram, an Indian character, played by a white actor, Michael Bates. Co-writer Jimmy Perry said of the show ‘It’s without doubt the funniest series David Croft and I wrote. It’s also the show we’re not allowed to talk about.’ As for repeats it was repeated on satellite channel UK Gold but future repeats look unlikely, after it was put on a short list by the BBC as a TV show that could be possibly be repeated as a rerun, but it has since been removed. In 2012 the Mail Online reported ‘The word has gone out the series of It Ain’t Half Hot Mum will never be shown in the future on the channel.

(referring to BBC1) ‘The censors feel the undertone of racism and catty remarks about different races and religions has no place on BBC channels.’ They added: ‘When the series was aired in the Seventies it was a different time, and the notions and sympathies of modern cultural Britain were a long way away.’ Summary The story revolves around a large group of British soldiers stationed at the Royal Artillery Depot in Deolali, India. The main characters are performers in the base’s Concert Party, which involves putting on comic acts and musical performances (similar to those seen in a music hall) for the other soldiers prior to their departure for the front lines. The Concert Party all love this particular job, as it enables them to keep out of combat duty (though some do harbour dreams of becoming world-famous actors when they leave the army). This is much to the annoyance of Sergeant Major “Shut Up” Williams who having spent almost all of his life as a professional soldier, resents being in charge of a bunch of “nancy boys” and takes every opportunity to bring some form of military regime to the concert party.

However the concert party also take every opportunity to thwart him supported by two senior officers who also appreciate their ‘cushy’ number’ Much of the comedy came from the love hate relationship between Sgt Major Williams and gunner “Lofty” Sugden. The two stars (Windsor Davies and Don Estelle) had a hit record with whispering grass. Clips It Ain't Half Not PC Mum | UK | News | Daily Express UK It Ain't Half Not PC Mum IT WAS one of the biggest comedy shows in the Seventies, depicting the antics of a British Army concert party in India and Burma towards the end of the Second World War. 00:00, Sun, Apr 22, 2012 Show stars Melvyn Hayes, Windsor Davies and Don Estelle [] Now it looks like It Ain’t Half Hot Mum will never appear on BBC television channels again. Bosses have said the comedy series, written by Dad’s Army creators David Croft and Jimmy Perry, is too racist for modern viewers. A review of the series was carried out by compliance editors at the corporation, who felt it was out of touch with modern Britain.

Many of the gags centred on the cultural divide and racially charged jokes about the Indian, Burmese or Japanese. Editors deemed such episodes unacceptable for a 2012 audience. It Ain’t Half Hot Mum, which attracted 15 million fans at its peak, has been removed from lists of comedy shows ready for reruns. A TV source said: “The word has gone out the series of It Ain’t Half Hot Mum will never be shown in the future on the channel. The censors feel the undertone of racism and catty remarks about different races and religions has no place on BBC channels. Under the modern [BBC] Trust guidelines it is clear the show doesn’t meet the guidelines given to output controllers and channel heads for presentation of Indian culture. Although every show is not packed with racism throughout, it would be tough to air a series or episodes with segments missing. The censors feel the undertone of racism and catty remarks about different races and religions has no place on BBC channels.

A TV source “When the series was aired in the Seventies it was a different time, and the notions and sympathies of modern cultural Britain were a long way away.” The BBC has been filling less busy time slots with reruns of old shows such as Only Fools And Horses. Digital television stations like Dave also feature older series like Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads? Editors scour through hours of content to check if the material is “appropriate” for family viewing. It Ain’t Half Hot Mum ran for seven years from 1974. Even at its height the show was a bone of contention as the lead Indian character Rangi Ram was played by a white actor, Michael Bates. Producers claimed there was a lack of high-profile Indian actors available at the time. Asian communities voiced their anger at the portrayal and language used in the show, which saw the British soldiers mimicking Indian accents, traditions and clothes. The Indian characters were also called “wallahs”, or servants. Gunner “Gloria” Beaumont, played by Melvyn Hayes, was also ridiculed by for his cross-dressing.

Speaking last year, the show’s co-writer Jimmy Perry said: “It’s without doubt the funniest series David Croft and I wrote. It’s also the show we’re not allowed to talk about.” Far from being racist, the show’s real hero was the resourceful Rangi Ram, he said. And the homophobic Sergeant Major Williams, played by Windsor Davies, was created to lampoon such prejudices, not to endorse them. Perry, who based the show on his experiences of running an Army concert party, said: “That series came nearest to the truth of anything we’ve done.” Most read in UK It Ain't Half Hot Mum (Series) - TV Tropes It Ain't Half Hot Mum You need to login to do this. Get Known if you don't have an account Share Series / It Ain't Half Hot Mum × Clockwise from top: BSM "Shut Up" Williams, "Lofty" Sugden, and "Gloria" Beaumont. Meet the gang 'cause the boys are here, The boys to entertain you! With music and laughter to help you on your way, We're raising the rafters with a hey-hey-hey!

With songs and sketches and jokes old and new, With us about, you won't feel blue! So meet the gang 'cause the boys are here, The boys to entertain you! B-O-Y-S - boys to entertain you! Yet another vintage BBC sitcom from before the days of political correctness. It Ain't Half Hot, Mum was written by the creators of Dad's Army and featured many of the same tropes and stock characters. The show, which broadcast between 1974 and 1981, was about the adventures of a Royal Artillery Concert Party stationed in India (later Burma) during World War II. Nominally in charge of things were officers Lieutenant Colonel Charles Reynolds (Donald Hewlett), a stereotypical, stiff-upper-lip British army officer, and Captain Jonathan Ashwood (Michael Knowles), Reynolds' none too bright second-in-command. Actually in charge of things was the hard-as-nails Battery Sergeant Major Bryn "Shut Up" Williams (Windsor Davies), the only true soldier among the main cast, and always quick to seize any excuse to berate the motley assortment of actors and musicians under his command. The performers included Jewish Bombardiernote Equivalent to a corporal.

"Solly" Solomons (George Layton), the resident leading man; effeminate Gunner/Bombardier "Gloria" Beaumont (Melvyn Hayes), the resident leading lady; comically short and fat Gunner Harold "Lofty" Sugden (Don Estelle), who possessed a remarkable singing voice; inept but eager ventriloquist Gunner Nigel "Parky" Parkins (Christopher Mitchell), whom Williams suspects might be his son as he had a romantic affair with Parkins' mother years earlier; upper-class, university-educated pianist Gunner Jonathan "Paderewski" Graham (John Clegg); tough Scottish strongman Gunner "Atlas" Mackintosh (Stuart McGugan); bird caller and later George Formby impersonator Gunner "Nobby" Clark (Kenneth MacDonald); and the perpetually eating paper tearer Gunner "Nosher" Evans (Mike Kinsey). Natives included "bearer" Rangi Ram (Michael Bates),note Bates, though Caucasian, was at least born in India.

a confidante to all; "char wallah" Mohammed (Dino Shafeek), who sold tea from a kettle and later replaced Rangi as bearer following Bates' death; Indian "punkah wallah" Rumzan (Babar Bhatti), who frequently displayed Hidden Depths of intelligence and savvy; and Chinese cook Ah Syn (Andy Ho), who replaced Rumzan in the final series. Common plot devices included conflict with the Indian locals, Sergeant Major's belief that Gunner Parkins might be his son, and his attempts to have the Concert Party "posted up the jungle". Eventually he was successful, and from the fifth series onwards the action relocated to Burma. The Concert Party would usually perform a musical number Once an Episode . Tropes included: AB Negative : In the episode "It's a Wise Child", Rangi steals Williams and Parkins' medical records, and the Concert Party discover that Parkins has Type O blood while Williams has Type AB blood, meaning he cannot be Parkins' father.

However, since this would remove Williams' reason to keep Parkins from being posted up the jungle, throwing the door open to the rest of them being likewise posted, they doctor Parkins' record to list his blood type as AB before Williams can see it. Acceptable Targets : Used and subverted in-universe when the Concert Party appears in a propaganda film for the US Army, but the men are horrified at the portrayal of both the British Army and the Japanese. When Graham asks a US officer if all Japanese people really have buck teeth and defective eyesight, he is told "They do for American audiences!" Eventually, Sugden accidentally erases the film, and all breathe a sigh of relief. Armed Farces : The officers are Upper Class Twits , the non-commissioned officer is a brute, the enlisted men are various flavours of liabilities, layabouts, and ne'er-do-wells... it's the armed farces, all right. Beware the Nice Ones : In the episode "Monsoon Madness", Sugden is driven insane by the heat and attempts to kill Sergeant Major Williams. Big "SHUT UP!" : Williams is pretty much the king of this trope, to the point that his nickname among the Concert Party is "Shut up".

Bilingual Bonus : The Urdu spoken by the Indian characters is real. Boomerang Bigot : Rangi dismisses the other Indians as 'ignorant natives' and uses phrases like 'we British' when talking to the crew. Michael Bates based this aspect of the character on similar encounters he'd had with social-climbing Indians in British India. British Stuffiness : Colonel Reynolds and Captain Ashwood. Catch Phrase : Sergeant Major Williams has several: "SHUT UP!", his stock reaction to attempts by the men to protest against his orders or outwit him; "Lovely Boy", a favoured way to address members of the Concert Party when he isn't barking orders at them; "Oh dear. How sad. Never mind", his stock dismissal of excuses offered to get out of following his orders; and "Mr La-di-da Gunner Graham", his reaction to the university-educated Graham's eloquent attempts to reason with him. Captain Ashwood's catchphrases included "That's rather a tricky one, sir", his reaction to the many questions or explanations for which he had no immediate answer, and "Carry on, chaps!", his favourite valediction as he left the performers and Williams to their own devices.

Rangi Ram's catchphrases include "You know, there is an old Hindu proverb which say ..." followed by a "proverb" which may or may not be relevant to the current situation, and "Don't be such clever dickie!", his preferred way to chastise Mohammed or Rumzan. "Gloria" Beaumont's words of choice for expressing his anguish at the conditions in the jungle are, "I can't stand it!" Character Outlives Actor : Michael Bates, who played bearer Rangi Ram, died of cancer in 1978 between Series 5 and 6. The character was written out of the remaining three series. Deadpan Snarker : Sergeant Major Williams. (a visiting officer has tasked the Concert Party with delivering the monthly bribe to a local bandit leader) Captain Owen: In his own words, he wants it to be delivered "by the ladies who dress up as soldiers during the daytime." Ashwood: (looks confused) Surely he means the soldiers who dress up as ladies? Williams: That's a matter of opinion, sir. Double Entendre : As with most Perry/Croft series, a fair amount of the humour revolves around innocent phrases with sexual connotations.

For example, in "Meet the Gang", Ashwood is standing outside the battery office window dejectedly remarking that "it" shrivels up when exposed to the hot Indian sun, and invites a shocked Williams to take a look. A reverse angle shot finally reveals that he is referring to his unsuccessful attempts to cultivate a window box garden. Drill Sergeant Nasty : Williams never misses a chance to belittle and berate the men under his command, determined to make real soldiers out of these pansy performing artists. Even the Guys Want Him : Slight twist on this one with Beaumont, who in several episodes is mistaken for a real woman by sex-starved soldiers. Frozen in Time : The series lasted seven years, one more than the real World War II - and the events cover just over four months in 1945 (May to September 1945; V-E Day is announced in Series 1, while V-J Day occurs in Series 8).

Grand Finale : Series 8 covers the last weeks of the war in 1945; in the final episode, the characters return to Britain to receive the ration books and complimentary suits of clothes given to all demobilised soldiers, and they discuss what they have planned for their returns to civilian life. Mohammed, meanwhile, writes to Beaumont that he is gearing up to follow them back to England and open a restaurant. Hypocritical Humor : Rangi derides the Indian locals as "coolies" and "natives" despite being Indian himself (as mentioned under Boomerang Bigot , this was a real attitude among socially ambitious Indians during the later years of the British Raj). It Will Never Catch On : Reynolds and Ashwood's plans for after the war involve television and laundromats. Neither thinks the other has much chance of success. Jerk with a Heart of Gold : Sergeant Major Williams may be loud and blustery, but he'll defend those he cares about to the death, especially Parkins (whose mother is a former girlfriend of his).

Mama's Baby, Papa's Maybe : Parkins' mother, Edith, was simultaneously involved with both Williams and the man she ended up marrying when Parkins was conceived, leading Williams to think he might be Parkins' father. Parkins is horrified by the idea (and even Williams isn't that thrilled as he witnesses Parkins' incompetence at everything he tries to do), and is relieved when a look at their medical records in "It's a Wise Child"note As in, "It's a wise child who knows his own father." reveals that his father probably is his mother's husband after all. Modern Minstrelsy : Rangi was played by a white (though Indian-born) actor in "blackface". Not Now, We're Too Busy Crying over You : In one episode the Concert Party find themselves behind enemy lines and are given a mission to blow up a bridge to cut-off the Japanese retreat, which is then cancelled at the last minute after Lofty's sent to set the charge in place. After trying three times to let him know they see the raft coming back and explode, causing them to mourn Lofty with Williams offering a eulogy just as Lofty comes back from where he got out of the river.

When Williams finally sees him he's positively raging. Proverbial Wisdom : Parodied with the native bearer Rangi Ram, who would often close an episode with "There is an old Hindu proverb, which say..." Reassigned to Antarctica : Williams repeatedly threatens to have the Concert Party "posted up the jungle". Scooby-Dooby Doors : In one episode where four of the men think they have arranged a romantic tryst with Mrs Waddilove-Evans and/or her maid. All go over to the house and rush in and out of the various doors to the same room, narrowly missing each other every time. Screams Like a Little Girl : Beaumont, at ear-shattering pitch. The Short Guy with Glasses : Sugden. To quote Williams, "Is it a mushroom? No. Is it a soldier? No. It's Gunner Sugden!" Shotgun Wedding : Parkins' parents are implied to have had one of these, as he was born barely nine months after they were married. Shout-Out : At one point, Williams says, "What about that ventriloquist? He did a turn with a fox.

I mean, whoever 'eard of a fox talking?" This is a poke at popular children's series The Basil Brush Show , the title character in which is... a fox puppet. Suspiciously Similar Substitute : Averted when George Layton (Solomons) left and Michael Bates (Rangi) died. No one was brought in to replace them but Gloria and Mohammed were promoted to Bombardier and Bearer respectively. When the actor playing Rumzan left in the final series, he got a Suspiciously Similar Substitute in the form of the cook Ah Syn. Swing Low, Sweet Harriet : In one episode of the show Gloria is desperate to get right a number that involves him playing a beautiful girl on a garden swing. He gets hurt when Sergeant Major pushes him off the swing, and Sergeant Major is forced to take his place! Title Drop : In the first episode, when Parkins writes to his mother, and the last episode, when Mohammed writes to Beaumont. The Unintelligible : Rumzan, at least to those who don't speak Urdu. He drops a few English words at the end of each sentence to convey the gist of what he has just said in Urdu. missing episodes articles it ain't half lost mum!

- dave homewood It Ainï¿½t Half Hot Mum is one of those strange comedies, in that during it's time it was hugely popular, but today receives little acclaim. It was a groundbreaker in the 1970ï¿½s, in that it differed vastly from the usual sitcoms that revolved around a family living room. It took viewers to an exotic setting and introduced a bunch of characters the likes never before seen on TV. Plus it was the first comedy to introduce Indian and Asian actors in regular and strong roles, rather than the usual bit parts theyï¿½d been seen in previously. The work on many of the sets was extraordinary when considering the usual tight BBC budget, with results producing authentic looking Indian bazaars and railway stations, barren deserts and even steamy jungle, all filmed in Britain. For me, it is one of the few shows I remember vividly as being on the television when I was really young. I have always enjoyed it, but only in recent years have I come to really appreciate it.

Written by the incredibly talented writing partnership of Jimmy Perry and David Croft, the plot revolves around a concert party which performs shows for troops at a base called Deolali in India (and later in the series ï¿½up the jungleï¿½ in Burma) during World War Two. Perhaps if coming across the show for the first time a viewer may wonder how on earth the creators came up with such an unplausable situation to turn into a comedy. Few fans realise it is actually a true story. The plot is based on actual events which happened to none other than a much younger Jimmy Perry in 1945. Having already served in the Home Guard as a ï¿½stupid boyï¿½, which lead to his creation of arguably the greatest and most successful comedy ever, Dadï¿½s Army, Jimmy joined the Royal Artillery in 1943. After a time in the UK, and narrowly missing out on becoming one of thousands who stormed the beaches on D Day (his unit was cut to ribbons), he went on to upset an officer on his base.

This lead to retribution from the said officer in the form of a posting to the worst battle front of the war, the Asian sub-continent. Jimmy spent some time in the Burmese jungle, trying to shoot down Japanese aircraft with obsolete anti-aircraft guns. He soon fell ill, as many in the jungle did, and after a long recuperation he was posted to Deolali, which was a famous Royal Artillery holding unit. On arrival he decided he did not wish to be sent back up the jungle, and given his acting experience in Home Guard shows, he decided to audition for the concert party. He was accepted, and withing weeks, due to the posting elsewhere of the show producer, Sergeant Perry found himself running the show. Memories of that time were recreated into the show we know as It Ainï¿½t Half Hot Mum. The setting of Deolali was true, the attitudes of the characters are totally authentic, and furthermore, every single character except for Lofty Sugden and the Char Wallah are based on real people heï¿½d known and worked with. Some based loosely, others totally on the nail. The officers really were silly arses who thought the world of the concert party.

The ï¿½leading ladyï¿½ really was over the top and totally theatrical (ps, Gloria was not gay!), the Sergeant Major really did hate them and called them a ï¿½bunch of poofs!ï¿½. Even the main character of Rangi Ram, played so marvellously by Michael Bates (though white, the only real Indian in the cast!) was based exactly on how their real Bearer had been ï¿½ he truly thought he was one of ï¿½we Britishï¿½ and not ï¿½some damn nativeï¿½! And of course Jimmy himself was recreated in the show, all-be-it only in the first two series, in the form of George Laytonï¿½s character Bombardier Solomons. IAHHM is always returning to New Zealand television screens for repeat runs, and has appeared on several networks over the years, always to the delight of its many fans. Sadly the BBC decided it is culturally insensitive and have been reluctant to repeat the series, citeing that the Indians are seen as a lesser class, and are supposedly abused by the British Army. However, these politically correct factions within the BBC have in many opinions made a big mistake here.

The attitudes expressed in the show, both that of the British to the Indians and vice versa, are truly demonstating how real attitudes were in 1945 in that country. This is a real part of the British Empireï¿½s history, whether the Brits today like it or not. Both the showï¿½s writers were in India during the war and they went to every length to make it factual. The Indian community in Britain were among the showï¿½s greatest supporters when it screened, so how it can be said today that it is now insulting to them is beyond belief. The series began screening on the 3rd of January 1974, with the one-off pilot simply called It Ainï¿½t Half Hot Mum (but now referred to on video covers and elsewhere as Meet The Gang). The first series screened throughout January and February 1974, and two episodes in that series were A Star Is Born and Itï¿½s A Wise Child, respectively episodes 4 and 6. A Star Is Born was first broadcast on the 24th of January 1974.

This saw Gunner Parkins, the gormless young soldier who the Sergeant Major believes to be his son, perform in his first big show number. He makes a total hash of it and makes the whole cast look like fools. Following this, the other concert party members decide he has to leave. However the Sergeant Major does not want to see ï¿½his boyï¿½ posted up the jungle. He wants nothing more than to see all the other ï¿½poofsï¿½ posted up the jungle however, and he therefore persuades the Colonel to go on leave in the hills (where the Colonel meets Mrs Waddilove-Evans, the WVS lady whom he begins and affair with). Whilst the Colonelï¿½s away, The Sgt-Major sets about having the concert party posted, all except Parkins, whom he has now seen to it will be employed in the Battery office as a clerk. However, Solly and Gloria devise a plan to save their skins, and convince Captain Ashwood that if they stayed at Deolali he can have a part in the show, as Noel Coward! The Captain revokes the postings to the Sgt-Majorï¿½s fury.

This episode was repeated only once on the BBC, on the 31st of July 1974. Itï¿½s A Wise Child first aired on the 7th of February 1974. In this, Solly is in the Sgt-Majorï¿½s basha (house) with Rangi when he notices that the Sgt-Major has a photo of Parkyï¿½s mum by his bed. Rangi, who once declared ï¿½I hear all evil, I see all evil, I speak all evilï¿½, of course knows the whole story. He has to break it to Solly that the Sgt-Major thinks Parkins is his son because heï¿½d known his mother nine months before the boyï¿½s birth in Colchester, and theyï¿½d had a fling before he embarked for India. Solly tells the concert party, but Parky is reluctant to believe that the man they all hate is his real Dad. They decide to find out once and for all by checking the medical records for their blood types. Rangi thieves the records and they find the blood types of Parky and BSM Williams are different.

However, theyï¿½re now aware the Sgt-Major also intends to check the records for proof. If he discovers the difference, and that Parky is not his boy, heï¿½ll probably post him up the jungle. So Solly doctors the records to make them look the same. Rangi is returning the records in the dead of night when the Sgt-Major sneaks into the medical office, dressed as an Indian, all blacked up, to steal the records himself. They both get caught by M.P.s and are jailed. The concert party hear Rangi was arrested and decide to break him out of jail using an elephant, but before they can the two have already escaped by their own means. However, in the end the Sgt-Major is convinced Gunner Parkins is his flesh and blood, and will do anything to protect him from being posted. Meanwhile the concert party see Parky as their own protection from being posted and heï¿½s put back in the show. This episode was repeated only once by the BBC too, on the 14th of August 1974.

Sometime after August 1974, although I have never been able to trace exactly when, the master copies of these episodes disappeared from the archives. I do not know whether they were accidentally lost or misplaced, whether they were deliberately wiped due to the Equity clause, or if they were even stolen. It is unlikely that they were deliberately wiped as they required the signature of David Croft to do this, which he would not have given. Plus why would just two from the series be wiped if that were the case? Does not make sense. And since there was an overseas market they should not have been erased. Although Iï¿½ve only briefed over the episodes here, storywise these two episodes would easily have been the most important of all in the series after the pilot in setting up the little relationships and scenarios between characters. Of all the episodes to lose, the BBC chose the worst possible because they are necessary for enabling viewers to fully understand the rest of the intertwined story through the series. The relationship between Parky and his ï¿½Dadï¿½ is fully set up, and how Parky becomes the one thing apart from the Colonel protecting the Sgt-Major posting all the others.

Also the affair between the Colonel and Mrs Waddilove-Evans, a Majorï¿½s wife, is introduced and mentioned in both episodes. This theme developes in later episodes. We also see the lengths that Rangi is willing to go to to help his concert party, and we discover that the Sgt-Major has no respect for the officers, especially Ashwood, as he schemes against them. It was not until a little over a year ago that I discovered these two episodes had been lost by the BBC. I know that I vaguely remember seeing them several years ago on New Zealand television. Therefore the master tapes must have been lost but prints still exist. In fact, during my research for a book I am writing on the series, I discovered that most of the cast members Iï¿½ve spoken with were unaware they had even been lost. At the request of my good friend David Croft, the co-writer, producer and director of this show and many other classic comedies, I began a campaign to find them.

I put special notices into several issues of my Dadï¿½s Army Appreciation Society New Zealand Branch magazine ï¿½Platoon Attention!ï¿½, with no result, and I contacted a number of people and places with again no result. A rumour had circulated that the BBC had unbroadcastable versions in the vaults, but Steve Roberts confirmed later that this was untrue. There was confusion, Jimmy Perry said heï¿½d heard theyï¿½d already been found, but David Croft was adamant they hadnï¿½t. He was right. I began to come to a dead end and thought Iï¿½d never find them. However, in the course of my search I had posted a message on this websiteï¿½s excellent forum asking if anyone had leads to where they can be found. Some time later I received an email from Australian David Baker, who said he had them in his private video collection. This was the breakthrough weï¿½d hoped for. He had recorded the two episodes from television in about 1988.

David said they had aired on the Channel 7 network, who sadly are one of those annoying and totally dishonest networks that sees fit to cut scenes out of BBC-made shows so they can fit more advertisements into the timeslot provided. People in the UK find it hard to believe this, but in the 1980ï¿½s and 90ï¿½s, TV stations in New Zealand and Australia, and no doubt elsewhere, have been butchering everything from comedies to dramas to the ever-sacred Coronation Street for the even more sacred dollar! David Baker kindly sent the two episodes to me, which I handed onto David Croft. It is not an understatement to say that, despite Channel 7 removing a few scenes from each, and despite the beginning and end being chopped off when David Baker recorded the episodes, David Croft was ecstatic to have them back! So was I. I estimate after reading the scripts, which David Croft kindly supplied me, that the episodes are about 85 ï¿½ 90% complete. The recording is not a bad one, despite a few glitches in Itï¿½s A Wise Child. And to see these episodes is a great priviledge.

When David Croft received the episodes he handed them onto his old ï¿½right hand manï¿½ Charles Garland, an ex BBC producer who now works in the archives preparing old programmes for broadcast. Charles assesed the footage, and converted it to a more modern system for BBC storage. He cleaned up the episodes as best he could, and being a fan of the series he told me he too was very glad to see them returned to the BBC. But due to the missing scenes, Charles and David decided they were unable to restore the episodes to a broadcastable standard. At least for the time being we have some record of the two shows, more than we would ever have had if it were not for a vigilant fan, David Baker, and this website. The ironic thing is David had known the two episodes were not held in the archive, and several years before had contacted the BBC offering his copies to them. They did not respond. Itï¿½s not what you have, itï¿½s who you know that wants what you have! I am eternally grateful to David Baker for kindly supplying the episodes, he has saved a piece of television history which will now allow many fans to enjoy these once lost treasures.

The new It Ainï¿½t Half Hot Mum Appreciation Society will have a copy in their archive for fans to view, and the BBC has itï¿½s own in case they ever chose to use it. Perhaps some day theyï¿½ll be included on a video release? Meanwhile our hopes are boosted now that somewhere out there in a vault the master tapes must surely still exist. Charles Garland is actively persuing that line.

If you have any leads as to where complete copies of these two episodes might be, or even off-air audio recordings of the soundtrack, please contact me on dave_daasnz@hotmail.com or Mike Geraghty of the IAHHM Appreciation Society at iahhm@yahoo.co.uk Please also feel free to visit the Dadï¿½s Army Appreciation Society New Zealand Branch website at and Mikeï¿½s It Ainï¿½t Half Hot Mum website at other articles It Ain’t Half Hot, Mum It Ain’t Half Hot, Mum 1 9 7 4 - 1 9 8 1 (UK) 56 x 30 minute episodes Following his success with Dad's Army , co-creator Jimmy Perry drew on his experiences as a member of a Royal Artillery Concert Party in Deolali, India, to create another World War II bound comedy series. The motley crew sent to entertain the British troops in India were the responsibility of Sergeant Major Williams (the brilliant Windsor Davies), a gruff Welsh RSM who referred to his charges as ''A bunch of pooftahs'' and whose favourite command was "Shut Up!".

The concert party included Bombardier "Solly" Solomons (written out after the early episodes), Bombardier Beaumont (who was very effeminate, dressed up in drag for the concerts, and was constantly referred to as ''Gloria''), an intellectual pianist referred to by Williams as ''Mr La-de-Da'' Gunner Graham, chief vocalist "Lofty" Sugden (so called because he was extremely short) and Gunner Parkins (who the Sgt Major treated kindly and referred to as ''Lovely Boy'' because he believed him to be his illegitimate son), Scotsman Gunner Mackintosh, and Gunners Clark and Evans. The entire troupe was run by a couple of commissioned buffoons called Colonel Reynolds and Captain Ashwood. The high-camp hi-jinks allowed for a broad music-hall-style humour to emerge, and the production had a manic energy about it, creating a wholly different atmosphere to the rather measured pace of Dad's Army . All the same, there were some similarities, principally the writers' dogged attempts to give most of the characters their own catchphrases. Unlike their earlier series, however, few of them stuck this time around.

The local Wallahs genuinely considered themselves to be true Brits, providing much of the racial humour. Michael Bates (in black make-up and a turban) played the part of chief Wallah and narrator Rangi Ram. Detractors claimed that, at the very least, a real Indian actor could have been cast in the part rather than a white-skinned man. Bates had a tongue-in-cheek response: he pointed out that he was born in Janshi, India, spoke Hindustani before he learned English, and, as the two genuinely brown faces in the cast actually belonged to a Pakistani and a Bangladeshi, he was, in fact, the only real Indian in the production. Sadly, Bates died in 1978, and the part of Char-Wallah Muhammed was increased to maintain the balance. By this time, the vengeful, petty-minded BSM Williams was the dominant force in the show, constantly boiling over with anger at the inefficiency of his gunners. Fake palm trees and a polystyrene crocodile were additions to a ''jungle'' in Norfolk where the series was made. And it wasn't half cold there for the cast.

They shivered with glycerine ''sweat'' applied to their foreheads and chests, and to make the mist for the ''swamp'', dry ice was dunked in mud and stirred. The desert was a Sussex coast sandpit. The physical contrast in size and volume between Williams (Windsor Davies) and ''Lofty'' (Don Estelle) drew the biggest rewards and the two created an unlikely double-act that resulted, incredibly, in a number one hit single in 1975 with their rendition of Whispering Grass. The last episode of the series showed the team ''demobbed'' and on their way home. RSM Williams

Question: In the 1974 comedy TV series 'It Ain't Half Hot Mum', who played the part of 'Rangi Ram'?
Answer: MICHAEL BATES